Clutch



March 7, 1933. A. STORM ET AL CLUTCH Filed Feb. 18, 1931 & Jimmy 771M14w 365w.

Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES OF MINNESOTA PATENT oFF CE-T ADOLPHs'ronm AND 'rn'on crnonsnn, or mmnnnronrsfimnnsora, ASSIGNORS 'ro STORMMANUFACTURING 00., me, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNE'so'rA, n conrom'rronApplicationfi'led February 18, 1931. Serial No. 516,646.

t, i ti l te t clutches, connected differential spur gears ll nd 12 andmore particularly to a sliding key clutch intended for general use butespecially de signed for use in connection with the trans missionmechanism for lathes, grinders, bor-i ing machines and the like. v

i The objectof the invention is the provis sion of a clutch that issimple and positive in its action, easy to operate, and ofcomparatively' small cost to manufacture.

The invention is a continuation in part of the Adolph Storm applicationfiled Septemher 14th, 1929, under Serial Number 392,649, and entitledBoring machine. 1

Generally stated, the invention consists-of the novel construction andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claim.

- Int-he accompanying drawing, which illustrates the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in central Verticalsection showing the invention embodied a variable speed transmissionmechanism of a boring machine;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view in section taken on the line 22 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in plan and partly in section taken on the line3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a View partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal centralsection showing the invention embodied in the transmission mechanism fora lathe.

Referring first to the invention as shown in Figs. 1 to'3 inclusive, itis important tonote the following parts of a variable speed transmissionmechanism, to-wit': an upright driven feed shaft 5, journaled in abearing head 6, and a lower collar 7 applied to the shaft 5 and arrangedto engage the under side of said head and prevent lifting movement ofsaid shaft. A pair of differential spur pinions 8 and 9 are looselymounted on the shaft 5 and in respect to each other, supported on thebearing head 6, and held against lifting movement therefrom by an uppercollar 10, secured to the shaft 5 by a press fit. These spur pinions 8and 9 mesh with a pair of respectively.

The improved clutch includes seal sliding key 13, mounted in a keyway 14formed;

in the shaft 5 and extends upward from the collar 7 through the upper:end ofthe shaft 5. This sliding'key 131s end-wiseshiftable in the keyway14 from neutral to" a position in which it connects either one of thepinions 8 and 91/00 the feed shaft 5'. Said. key 13 has a long. bodymember 15 which lies entirely within the keyway 14: and is connected toa key shifter 16 by. a loose hinge 17.. This shifter 16 is in the formof airelatively long sleeve, telescoped onto the upper end'ofthe feedshaft .5 for axial sliding movement, and

has on. its upper end a hand piece or knob 18.-

The hinge 17 is of novel construction and lnclu'des a, radial pinsecured by apress fit in theshifter 16, and a notch in the front edge ofthe: key body 15 into which said; pin

projects. It will be noted that the formation of the hinge notch, andthe key body 15 in the and 9 respectively, are arranged to receive thekey 13, when endwise positioned to enter either onethereof and broughtinto registrationtherewith under the rotation of thefeed shaftlfi.

' Interposed between pinions 8 9 is a cam a'cting" collar 23 with. whichthekey to the back (if 13 en ages during its shifting .movement 7 from te keyway 21 to the key-way 22, or vice versa. The purpose of thiscam-acting col:

lar 23is-tocompletely earn the key 13 out of the keywa-y in which itextends before the sametiis permitted. to be proiectedby the spring 19into, the otherkeyway,

Obviously, by manipulating the shifter 16, the key 1'3may be veryquickly shifted endon the; feed shaft .5 from neutral toconnect eitherone of the pinions 8 or 9 to the feed shaft 5. When the key 13 is inneutral, it is in contact with the bearing head 6 and held therebycompletely within the keyway 14. The engagement of the shifter 16 withthe collar. 10 positions the key 13in neutral position.

A spring pressed friction ball 24, carried by the shifter 16, andcooperating longitudinally spaced seats 25, in the feed shaft 5,yieldingly'hold the shifter 16 in either keyway 21 or 22.

The'above described variable speed transmissionlnechanism is designedfor use in connection with a boring machine, as shown and described inthe heretofore identified application. v Referring now to the use of theimproved clutch as shown in Fig. 4, wherein the transmission mechanismis designed for use in connection .with a lathe, and of the partsthereof fragmentarily illustrated, the .numeral 26.indicates thecarriagev feed screw journaled in a pair of axially spaced bearings 27and 28, on the bed of the machine, and a driving gear 29. This gear 29is loosely journaled on the feed screw 26 and held against axialmovement thereon between the bearing 27 and the .collar 30, held on saidshaft by a press fit.

.Thepinion 26 on the feed screw 26 is for use in connection with a handfeed for said screw. I

The improved clutch, illustrated in Fig. 4, is arranged to connect thefeed screw 26 to the driving gear 29, at will. As the clutch in thisillustration is identical with the clutch heretofore described indetail, it is thought for the sake of brevity that the simpleapplication of the following-designating numerals to the various-partsthereof will be sufficient. To-wit: sliding key 31, its body 32, keyway33 in the feed screw 26, internal keyway 34 in thehub of the gear 29,shifter 35 and its knob or hand piece 36, loose hinge 37, spring 38, andslot and pin connection 39.

' keyway 33.

When the shifter 35 is in its extreme outermost position and-stopped bythe connection 39, the key 32 is yieldingly held in the keyway- 34E bythe spring 38, and connects the feed screw 26120, the gear 29. Theinward movement of the shifter 35 is limited by its engagement with thecollar 30, and positions the key 31 in neutral, wherein the same is heldby the bearing 27 entirely within the From the above description, it isevident that the improved clutch maybe set or released, while thedriving members are in motion, simply by manipulating the key shifter.The radial movement of the key into the keyway of the driven member, isvery positive in its action and is easily brought into registrationtherewith.

The drawing illustrates a commercial form of the invention, but it willbe understood that the same is capable of certain modifications as todetails of construction, arrangement and combination of parts, withinthe scope of the invention herein disclosed.

What we claim'is:

The combination with a shaft, a wheel loose on the shaft, one of whichis driven, said Wheel being axially spaced from the outer end of theshaft, and a member on the shaft at the inner end of the hub of thewheel, of a clutch for connecting the wheel to the shaft comprising anexternal keyway in the projecting end of the shaft and extending throughthe wheel and into the member, an internal keyway in the wheel,extending through the inner end of its hub and closed by the member, atubular key shifter telescoped onto the projecting end of the shaft andhaving a, key body the outer end portion of which extends into saidshifter and is hingedly. connected thereto and mounted in the keyway inthe shaft, said =key body having on its inner end an outwardly andradial- 1y projecting key, and a spring compressed between the shaft and:key bodyand under strain to move the keybody and project the key intothe keyway-in the wheelto connect the wheel tothe shaft, said shifterbeing operable to move the key=body endwise toward the member to causethe key to engage the member, be cammed thereby out of the keyway in thewheel, into the keyw-ay in-the shaft and into the member to release thewheel from the shaft and be held inoperative A

